II. Cultural and Historic Resources
II. CULTURAL
AND HISTORIC
RESOURCES
7/30/2013
Town of Middletown, Rhode Island
Middletown will be known as a community that preserves its past and values
cultural enrichment opportunities for its residents and visitors. The town and its
residents will recognize cultural and historic preservation as a key component to
the town’s future growth, economy, character, and appeal of the town.
Draft Comprehensive Community Plan
II. Cultural and Historic Resources
II. Cultural and Historic
Resources
TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN, RHODE ISLAND
Suppor ting Documents
 Historic and Architectural Resources of Middletown, Rhode Island: A Preliminary Report.
Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission. 1979.
 Historic Landscapes of Rhode Island. Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage
Commission. 2002.
 Middletown, Rhode Island: Houses, History, Heritage. Middletown Historical Society. 1990.
 O’Shea, Phillip. Death Comes Once, A Cemetery is Forever: The Search for Middletown’s
Lost Graveyards. 1997.
 Preliminary Survey Report, Town of Middletown: June, 1979. Rhode Island Historical
Preservation Commission. 1979.
 The Paradise Loop Scenic Highway Stewardship Plan. Rhode Island Scenic Highways
Board. 2003.
Introduction
The Cultural and Historic Resources Element identifies local historic and cultural resources, describes why
they are significant, and looks to provide the policies, recommendations, and tools to plan for the
preservation, protection, and enhancement of those resources.
There are many great historic and cultural resources within Middletown that offer residents and visitors
opportunities to learn about their heritage and the history of the town and nation. It is a priority of the
town to protect these historic sites and landscapes and to sustain the quality of life and rural character of
the town.
Considerations:
 Pressure on the land to accommodate growth threatens the town's rich cultural heritage.
 Several of Middletown’s most important historic resources have no form of recognition or
protection.
Page 2
 Agriculture has always been one of Middletown's most important activities. Any further
reduction in the number of farms in Middletown would alter the essential character of the
town as farms themselves are part of the scenic beauty of the area.
 Recognition and protection of the town’s historic resources can help preserve the character of
the town for future generations and serve as an educational resource.
 Our cultural resources are the underpinnings of the tourism economy and they need to be
protected and enhanced if we are to remain economically healthy.
Historic and Cultural Vision Statement: Middletown will be known as a community that
preserves its past and values cultural enrichment opportunities for its residents and
visitors. The town and its residents will recognize cultural and histori c preservation as a
key component to the town’s future growth, economy, character, and appeal of the
town.
A preliminary survey of Middletown conducted in 1979 by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation
Commission identified seven districts and 105 individual structures and sites of historic interest.
T HESE CULTURAL RESOURCES REFLECT A BROAD SPECTRUM OF TIME , ARCHITECTURAL TRENDS , AND
EVENTS . INCLUDED ARE VERNACULAR FARMHOUSES AND FARM LANDSCAPES , SOME GOOD
EXAMPLES OF WHICH ARE SEEN ALONG WEST M AIN ROAD AND M ITCHELL L ANE ; LUXURIOUS
MANSIONS , NOTABLY THE WILLIAM VERNON H OUSE , THE H AMILTON HOPPIN HOUSE , THE
J ACOB CRAM HOUSE , AND W ILLIAM R EDWOOD’S COUNTRY HOUSE ; ONE-ROOM
SCHOOLHOUSES – P ARADISE S CHOOL AND THE PEABODY S CHOOL ; THE EXTENSIVE S T.
G EORGE’S S CHOOL, WITH ITS OUTSTANDING CHAPEL ; WHITEHALL, B ISHOP B ERKELEY’S
COUNTRY PLACE ; THE BERKELEY M EMORIAL C HAPEL AND THE C HURCH OF THE H OLY C ROSS ; T HE
M IDDLETOWN TOWN H ALL ; A GRANGE HALL ; AN EARLY MOTOR COURT ; AN AIRPORT ; A
MILESTONE ; W ORLD W AR II STRUCTURES ; AND SEVERAL NATURAL FEATURES KNOWN AND
APPRECIATED FOR CENTURIES – P URGATORY C HASM , H ANGING ROCK , AND THE BEACHES .
General History of Middletown
For slightly more than one hundred years, 1639 to 1743, Middletown existed as the northern portion of
Newport which shared the island of Aquidneck, once called Rhode Island, with the town of Portsmouth to
the north. By mid-century, the growing population felt increasingly alienated from the urbane,
sophisticated merchants of Newport who still dominated the political arena. They petitioned the General
Assembly for political independence and, in 1743, Middletown was set off as a separate town.
Middletown’s 14.7 square miles reached from Narragansett Bay on the west to the Sakonnet River on the
east, bordered by Portsmouth to the north, Newport to the southwest and the Atlantic Ocean to the
southeast. Fertile soil encouraged the early settlers and their successors to clear the land for planting, in
the process constructing stone walls with the rocky debris to act as fences and boundary markers.
In 1748, the first census since incorporation showed 680 persons living within Middletown. Most of the
residents were famers and their families plus a few tradesmen and a few wealthy Newport merchants that
built their large summer estates here, some of which still exist today. Notable residents included Bishop
George Berkeley, the philosopher, who bought a 96-acre tract of Middletown farmland while he waited
funding from Parliament for a university he planned to establish in Bermuda.
Page 3
II. Cultural and Historic Resources
In December 1776 about 9,000 British and Hessian troops came ashore at Weaver's Cove on the west
shore of Middletown near the present location of Greene Lane. During the next four years, the boundary
between Newport and Middletown became a line of defense, first for the British and then for the colonials
and the French. Some of the redoubts and other traces of that fortification are still visible on the
landscape of today.
During the 19th century, as the landscape of the rest of southern New England was transformed by
industrialization, Middletown remained rural. This was partially because many of the new summer colonists
looked at the town as a sanctuary from the pressures that affected the industrial cities. Artists and
businessmen became neighbors with thriving farmers along Indian Avenue, Paradise Avenue, Miantonomi
Avenue and elsewhere.
The growth of Newport’s summer colony after the Civil War resulted in an effort, spearheaded by Eugene
Sturtevant, to make Middletown the "court end of the island," Roads were built and lots were laid out on a
large tract of land along the Sakonnet River. The Indian Avenue area was developed on a small scale,
with the first purchases being made by Philadelphia and Hartford families. Several other large summer
estates were built along the Sakonnet River. Additionally, a syndicate of Boston investors laid out a
compound of six Shingle Style houses, known as the Land Trust Cottages, at the eastern end of Easton’s
Beach in 1886-1887 under the guidance of Frederick Law Olmstead, one of America’s outstanding
landscape architects.
The twentieth century brought the growing importance of the Navy in Middletown, especially during and
after World War II. At that time, much of Middletown's Narragansett Bay shoreline came under Navy
control. Coddington Cove became a port for a North Atlantic Squadron, and the hills above it were
transformed from centuries old farmland into facilities for the Naval Underwater Systems Center. The
population growth that accompanied these changes generated further residential and commercial
developments, such as the Anchorage, the Naval Gardens and the strip development along lower East and
West Main Roads.
In the l940s and l950s, Middletown was the fastest growing town in Rhode Island. Between 1950 and
1960, the town’s population grew by 72 percent; to a total of 12,675. Much of the town’s suburban style
subdivision development and strip commercial development occurred during this time period, replacing the
agricultural use of these properties. When the Cruiser –Destroyer Force, Atlantic, established itself at the
Naval Base during the 1960’s, the population of Middletown reached an all-time high of 29,290 people
in 1970. When the Cruiser-Destroyer Force was withdrawn in 1973, the town’s population saw a
precipitous drop and by 1980 was 17,216.
The decline of fleet activities at Coddington Cove continued in the 1990s, with the last frigate leaving in
1994. Filling in the gap the U.S. Coast Guard has assigned several buoy tenders to Coddington Cove.
Navy reorganization expanded the facilities at the renamed Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC).
During this same period, the town began to enjoy economic prosperity. The expanding tourism industry in
Newport led to an increase in hotel and motels in the town. Commercial and residential development
continued a steady growth into the 2000’s.
As a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) 2005 actions, which include
consolidation of educational and training activities, Naval Station Newport experienced some growth as
training commands were relocated to Newport. The modest residential development that has occurred over
the past decade has been dominated by large-lot single-family dwelling development. The Town has
adopted conservation subdivision development regulations which promote the preservation of open space,
as well as cultural and historic resources by allowing development on smaller lots in exchange for the
preserved areas. Commercial development has continued within the town’s business districts, including
Page 4
along West Main Road, East Main Road, Aquidneck Avenue, and Valley Road. The town is beginning to
experience more redevelopment of existing commercial properties as the availability of undeveloped
commercial properties has declined. In addition to other zoning requirements, the Town has adopted
commercial development design standards that will guide development and redevelopment of commercial
properties. The regulations are intended to mitigate the adverse aesthetic impact of commercial
development by encouraging the use of traditional New England architectural styles and materials, and
requiring thoughtful site design.
Inventory of Cultural Resources
The cultural resources of Middletown include:

Many historic private and public buildings as shown in Figure C-1 Historic and
Archeological Resources;

Farms and their traditional use of the land;

The stone walls which trace the boundaries of farmer’s fields;

The strong religious and ethnic traditions of the town;

The cemeteries shown in Figure C-2 Historic Cemeteries with their gravestones that
document the lives of our forebears, and;

The organizations which preserve our history, our open spaces, and educational
facilities.
SOME SPECIFIC AREAS OF HISTORIC AND CULTURAL INTEREST WITHIN THE TOWN OF
MIDDLETOWN ARE DESCRIBED BELOW:
 Indian Avenue in the eastern part of Middletown along the Sakonnet River encompassing
a one-quarter-mile section of winding, tree-lined, and relatively quiet road between Green
End Avenue on the north and Third Beach Road on the south are located about a dozen
noteworthy Late Victorian and early 2Oth-century summerhouses and a picturesque stone
chapel erected in 1884. Most of the houses are situated east of the road and offer views of
the river and ocean.
 At the northwest corner of Wyatt Road and Mitchell’s Lane is the Mitchell’s Lane Historic
District, about 125 acres of farmland centered on a 2-1/2 story, late Victorian,
cross-gable farm house and several large, wood-shingle outbuildings. The district, which
includes the former Ogden Farm and small portions of adjacent farmland, is an important
surviving link to Middletown's agricultural heritage.
 Along the southern part of Paradise Avenue, for a distance of about one mile, are several
dozen residences including some noteworthy structures, most dating from the mid-19th
century. To the present day, Paradise Avenue has maintained its quiet, residential character,
unaffected by modern intrusions; and its many fine, early homes are an important part of
Middletown's history.
Page 5
II. Cultural and Historic Resources
 In the south-central part of Middletown north of Second Beach, the Paradise Rocks Historic
area is a largely undeveloped area of generally north-south trending rock ridges, including
Paradise Rocks and Hanging Rocks. On an island devoted largely to agricultural,
residential, commercial, and industrial uses, the Paradise Rocks area is a superb and unique
natural enclave. In the 18th century, Bishop George Berkeley made frequent visits by
carriage to Paradise and Hanging Rocks while living in Middletown and was said to have
written ‘Alciphron’, one of his best known works.
 Along West Main Road, at the town line, partly in Middletown and partly in Portsmouth, is
Prescott Farm. The property, developed by the Newport Restoration Foundation, comprises
a group of restored buildings, including a house, a small building once used as a
guardhouse, a country store, a windmill in Middletown and the Overing House in Portsmouth.
 In the northwest part of Middletown, along both sides of West Main Road and part of
Greene Lane, is a rural tract centered on several old farms. This area, with its farm
complexes and undulating fields bounded by stone walls, is one of the few surviving
agricultural areas on the island.
 “Whitehall”, the home of Bishop George Berkeley from 1729-1731, the Anglo-Irish
philosopher, located on Berkeley Avenue, now a museum house.
 Green End, now known as Card's Redoubt (1778): the remains of an earthwork in a pine
grove at the rear of 218 Boulevard marks the site of MacKenzie's Green End or Card's
Redoubt, once part of a line of defenses built by the British in 1778 around Newport.
 Jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, is a slightly elevated, rocky peninsula, known as
Sachuest. It was an island at the end of the last ice age, but currents deposited sand and
gravel that created Second Beach and Third Beach and connected the island to the
mainland. The peninsula is owned by the federal government and is now known as the
Sachuest Point Wildlife Refuge and offers a visitors center and trails.
 Purgatory Chasm is a natural chasm, or cleft, in the cliffs along Sachuest Bay. The opening
in the conglomerate rock ledge is about 10 feet wide, 50 feet deep, and 120 feet long.
Purgatory is of geological importance because the chasm is a good example of erosion due
to wave action and because of the conglomerate beds, of "stretched pebbles and boulders",
which were flattened and elongated by compression millions of years ago. Initials and dates
inscribed in a layer of sandstone, dating from the 18th century, indicate that Purgatory was
known from an early time.
 A sinuous mound of earth and a grassy open area with a steep slope to the east, mark the
site of Redoubt St. Onge, a Revolutionary War defense work. Colonial and French troops
constructed the redoubt in 1780 to protect the French, under Rochambeau, from an attack by
English forces out of New York.
 Naval Undersea Warfare Center at Coddington Cove (buildings 103, 105, 107, 111,
and 131) includes several structures built during and after World War II, including the
former Newport Airport Hanger; research, development, testing and evaluation buildings;
and support buildings. Many of these are bombproof structures of massive
reinforced-concrete construction with heavy overhanging roof projections.
Page 6
 The Old Colony Railroad which runs along the west side of the town provided both
freight and passenger service up until the collapse of the Fall River Line Steamship Company
and the competition offered by trucks. It is a valuable, one of a kind feature, and besides
its importance as a cultural resource it is also a transportation asset that should be
maintained.
 The Peckham Bros. Quarry, the only active quarry in Middletown, has been operated by
the Peckham family since 1844 and is one of the oldest operating quarries in the United
States. It is located in an area generally known as Paradise Rocks, where stones and gravel
had been taken for paving roads as early as 1701.

The Crystal Spring is a natural spring that has provided drinking water to the residents of
Middletown since 1907.
 The "mile marker" at Two Mile Corner.
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES –MIDDLETOWN, RHODE ISLAND
Buildings in Middletown which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places are highlighted below.
The National Register of Historic Places is a program of the National Park Service, United States
Department of the Interior. It is the official inventory of the nation's cultural and historical resources that are
worthy of preservation. The National Register is more than a list of resources that have been researched
and documented as significant to the nation, state or community. The register is also a tool for preserving
historic properties as listed properties are given special consideration when the federal government is
planning or giving aid to projects. Listing on the National Register also gives private citizens and public
officials credibility when attempting to protect these resources. Listing does not however prevent a private
citizen from altering, managing or disposing of the property.
W H I T E H A L L , 311 Berkeley Avenue, was the home of Bishop George Berkeley, educator,
philosopher and Anglican cleric, from 1729-1731. It is an example of early use of Palladian style
architecture on a domestic building. The home is now a museum and is furnished for the time and includes
a colonial herb garden and orchard. The mission of The Whitehall Committee of The National Society of
The Colonial Dames of America is to preserve, protect, interpret and keep the home as a perpetual
memorial.
The W I T H E R B E E S C H O O L , a one-room wooden school house at the corner of Green End and
Valley was one of five in Middletown in 1900. It closed in the 1940s, and now is run by the Middletown
Historical Society as an educational center. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1989. This circa 1892 one-room schoolhouse was fully restored into an authentic vintage 1900
classroom.
Page 7
II. Cultural and Historic Resources
S T O N Y B R O O K E S T A T E H I S T O R I C D I S T R I C T includes the late Gothic Revival house
built in 1928 by Horace Trumbauer. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in
2009. Properties included in the district are 501 Indian Avenue - Stonybrook Estate (1927), Grounds &
Garage, 502 Indian Avenue - Stonybrook Cottage, 515 Indian Avenue -Stonybrook Gatehouse, 521
Indian Avenue – Stonybrook Grounds, and 75 Vaucluse – Stonybrook Gardners Cottage.
HAMILTON HOPPIN
H O U S E at 120 Miantonomi Avenue
is said to be the first Italianate StickStyle house in the United States. It was
built in 1856 as a summer residence
for Hamilton Hoppin (1821-1885) and
has been known by several names,
including Villalon, Montpelier, Shadow
Lawn, Agincourt Inn, and, currently, The
Inn at Villalon. The oldest part of the
house was designed by architect
Richard Upjohn, as was Kingscote in
Newport. The Hamilton Hoppin House
was added to the National Historic
Register in 1996.
THE TAYLOR CHASE
S M Y T H E H O U S E on Chases
Lane is a circa 1702 two and a half
story Rhode Island Plan structure with
additions. The Navy purchased the
house in 1941 and utilized it as the
Naval Education and Training Center.
The house was added to the
register in 1989.
D E N N I S J . M U R P H Y H O U S E A T O G D E N F A R M is a 1900 vernacular Queen
Anne farmhouse at 641 Mitchell's Lane. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
P A R A D I S E S C H O O L , a one room schoolhouse on Paradise Avenue, was built in 1875 and held
classes until 1955 when it became an administration office. The Middletown Historical Society acquired the
building in 1976. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, was later restored and
now holds a small museum.
B O Y D ' S W I N D M I L L , built in 1810, is an historic smock mill. John Peterson built the windmill on
Old Mill Lane in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and William Boyd purchased it in 1815. It originally had four
common sails, but four more were added by the family. The windmill was restored by the Middletown
Historical Society after receiving it as a donation in 1990 and moving it to Paradise Valley Park in
Middletown. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
The C H U R C H O F S T . G E O R G E , L I T T L E C H A P E L , A N D M E M O R I A L
S C H O O L H O U S E are located on the campus of St George's School at 372 Purgatory Road. St
George's School, founded in 1896, is a private, independent, Episcopal, boarding school. The Gothic
Page 8
cathedral was build in 1928 and the adjoining Memorial Schoolhouse in 1923. The three sites were added
to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
P A R A D I S E F A R M is a coastal farm located at 583 Third Beach Road of about 130 acres
comprising a mid-18th century farmhouse with later additions, a mid-19th-century barn, two modest scale
agricultural outbuildings, two burial sites, a stone-lined sheep pen, stone-lined pastures and fields, wooded
areas, Hanging Rock (a wellknown geological formation), and an abandoned bluestone quarry. It is
bounded by Third Beach Road and Hanging Rock Road on the east, the rear lot lines of neighboring
properties on the north and west, and Hanging Rock Road and Gardiner’s Pond on the south. As specified
in the will of Mabel Norman Cerio, the last private owner of Paradise Farm, much of the estate was given
to the Norman Bird Sanctuary Trust for use as a bird sanctuary in 1949. Named in honor of Cerio’s father
and brother, the non-profit Norman Bird Sanctuary continues to serve as a wildlife refuge and education
center today. At the time of Cerio’s death, a 16-acre parcel comprising the Paradise Farmhouse,
outbuildings and agricultural fields along Third Beach Road remained in the hands of the Norman heirs. In
the late 1990s, The Norman Bird Sanctuary purchased this parcel and reintegrated it into the sanctuary.
The C L A M B A K E C L U B O F N E W P O R T is an historic clubhouse meeting hall at 353
Tuckerman Avenue. The building was completed in the mid-19th century and added to the National
Register of Historic Places in 1995.
The L Y M A N C . J O S E P H H O U S E at 438 Wolcott Avenue was built in 1882. The home,
designed by architect Clarence Luce, is in an American shingle style and is currently privately owned. The
home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
B A I L E Y F A R M is an historic farm at 373 Wyatt Road that was added to the National Register of
Historic Places in 1984. Bailey Farm was built in the early nineteenth century as an excellent example of
Greek Revival architecture.
G A R D I N E R P O N D S H E L L M I D D E N , contains various prehistoric shell fossils and other
archaeological remains. The midden was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Figure C-1 Historic and Archeological Resources displays sites listed on the National Register of Historic
Places within Middletown as well as archeological sites.
Insert Figure C-1 Historic and Archeological Resource Map
In addition to the buildings which are on the National Register there are many other buildings in
Middletown which are of historic or architectural interest. For a full list of Historic Buildings and other
cultural resources, see Historic and Architectural Resources of Middletown, Rhode Island: A Preliminary
Report, Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1979, and Middletown, Rhode Island: Houses –
History – Heritage, The Middletown Historical Society, 1990.
Inventory of Historic Landscapes
Historic Landscapes of Rhode Island, published in 2002 by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation &
Heritage Commission, includes an inventory of individual historic landscapes by community in Rhode Island
featuring both the designed and the vernacular. Within the town of Middletown, the following individual
landscapes were identified:
 Rhode Island Nurseries, 644 East Main Road
 Gray Craig, 1924-28, 75 Gray Craig Road
Page 9
II. Cultural and Historic Resources
 Green End Avenue Agricultural District - 3 Farms at 1498 Green End Avenue, 1499 Green
End Avenue, & Howland Avenue
 Sonnenhof, 1914-1919, 14 Indian Avenue
 Hopelands, 1927-1930, 165 Indian Avenue
 Stonybrook, 1928, 500 Indian Avenue
 Mitchell Lane Rural District – Chapman Farm (373 Mitchell’s Lane), James Smith Farm (798
Mitchell’s Lane), Ogden Farm (Mitchell’s Lane & Wyatt Road)
 St George’s School , 1902, 372 Purgatory Road
 Lazy Lawn, Angell Cottage, 1842, 528 Third Beach Road
 King-Norman Farm, 583 Third Beach Road
 West Main Road Agricultural District - Middletown’s Northwest Corner – Coggeshall-Simmons
Farm
Cultural Institutions
Cultural institutions in Middletown include churches, schools and nonprofit organizations. These include the
Middletown Public Library, the Norman Bird Sanctuary, the Middletown Historical Society, the Newport
County YMCA, the Potter League, the Sachuest Point Wildlife Refuge, and many others.
The Middletown Historical Society is an all-volunteer, non-profit educational organization, founded in
1976. The Society's purpose is to “bring together those people interested in Middletown's history and to
safeguard our rapidly disappearing heritage in order to insure a record of the past.” Accordingly, the
Middletown Historical Society has undertaken a series of preservation projects. One of the newest
projects is the Middletown War Veteran’s Memorial Park. Situated on land graciously donated by the
estate of the late Ray Durfee at the corner of Green End Avenue and Valley Road (RI 214), the Society is
designing a memorial park to honor Middletown’s War Veterans. Preliminary plans include a small
parking area, a memorial brick walkway, an illuminated flag pole and a permanent monument listing the
names of those veteran’s who made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of their country.
Historic Cemeteries
The State of Rhode Island's historic cemetery program, which is administered through the Department of
Veterans Affairs, has identified and labeled approximately 60 cemeteries in Middletown. The
Middletown Historical Society has identified 74 historic cemeteries that are described in Philip Michael
O'Shea’s book Death Comes Once But a Cemetery is Forever; The Search For Middletown’s Lost Graveyards.
The Middletown Planning staff crosschecked and verified, using aerial photography, both the State’s
inventory and O’Shea’s list for completeness and accuracy. Of those sites, 53 historic cemeteries were
identified in the Town. Figure C-2 Historic Cemeteries displays the location of all historic cemeteries in
Middletown. Some of the missing lots were either moved or no longer exist.
The gravestones in the cemeteries of Middletown are often the only informative artifact left about an
individual or family that gives both the date of birth, the date of death and often indicates to whom an
individual was married. Furthermore, the decorations, which often adorn these stones, are a form of
Page
10
American folk art. Cemeteries and the stones they contain, therefore, are powerful documents about
Middletown’s past.
While statutes and laws exist on both the local and state levels to protect the cemeteries on the state's
inventory, enforcement, maintenance and access to these sites remain a problem. A perpetual care
program at the local level is required to protect all historic cemeteries in the town. Maintenance of
cemeteries should be made a responsibility of the Department of Public Works with the assistance of
volunteer groups. A well-organized and coordinated volunteer effort employ, for example, Boy Scouts
might be effective.
Insert Figure C-2 Historic Cemeteries Map
American Revolution Sites
The two primary fortifications left in Middletown are Green End Fort and Redoubt St. Onge. The Green
End Fort is located off the Boulevard near Green End Avenue, and Redoubt St. Onge (mislabeled as
Green End Fort by a monument at the site) is located at the end of Vernon Avenue.
There are a significant number of sites in Middletown still remaining from the line of defense thrown up
around Newport by the British during their occupation of the Island in the American Revolution. These were
later reworked and added to by both the French and the Americans and, as such, are of great historic
significance. The potential for education is so high at both sites that the town should consider administering
them as parks. These remaining fortifications must be protected from destruction either by erosion or by
development. The Town should take a lead role in providing protection. Zoning regulations should be
enacted to prevent any destruction of these nationally significant places.
The Paradise Loop Scenic Highway
Paradise Avenue, Berkeley Avenue, Wyatt Road, Mitchell’s Lane, Wapping Road, Peckham Avenue, Indian
Avenue and Hanging Rock Road in Middletown comprise the 8.3 mile scenic highway network. This network
of roads traverses an area of natural beauty, historic significance, recreational opportunity, and cultural
importance. The scenic loop passes through a variety of landscapes, from the shoreline of Second Beach
and Sachuest Bay, to historic residences along Indian Avenue, to gently rolling farmland all punctuated by
stretches of canopy trees, stone walls and open vistas. Several natural resource attractions mark
destination points along or near the loop, including the Norman Bird Sanctuary, Sachuest Point National
Wildlife Refuge, and Purgatory Chasm. The Paradise Loop Scenic Highway Stewardship Plan produced by
the Rhode Island Scenic Highways Board in 2003 identifies how citizens and government can work to
protect, manage, and enhance this scenic highway so that future travelers through Middletown will be able
to experience the history and scenery that is evident to today’s roadway users.
Page
11
II. Cultural and Historic Resources
GOALS, POLICIES, AND ACTION ITEMS
Goal C-I: Save architectural and natural heritage sites
Policies
Action Items
Responsible
Department
Timeframe
C-I.A.1. Encourage historically correct restoration of
historic buildings
Building &
Zoning;
Planning
Ongoing
C-I.A.2. Seek National Register of Historic Places
nomination of additional historic resources, as
appropriate
C-I.A.3. Consider adoption of incentive program to
encourage the preservation of historically significant
buildings
Planning
Department
Ongoing
Building &
Zoning;
Planning
Mediumterm
C-I.A.4. Preserve the contexts in which historic
resources are set through buffer areas or zones
Building &
Zoning;
Planning
Mediumterm
C-I.A.5. Discourage demolition or inappropriate use of
valuable historic resources
Building &
Zoning;
Planning
Ongoing
C-I.B. Protect and
preserve historic
cemeteries and Native
American burial grounds
C-I.B.1. Establish an adopt-a-spot program for historic
cemeteries and burial grounds
Town Council Mediumterm
C-I.C. Protect known
archeological sites from
disruption
C-I.C.1. Develop an ordinance to provide protection of
archeological sites
Planning
Long-term
C-I.D. Preserve and
protect the vestiges of
military fortifications
from the Revolutionary
War Period
C-I.D.1. Enact zoning regulations to protect military
fortifications
Town
Council;
Planning
Mediumterm
C-I.D.2. Consider administering forts as parks
Town Council Long-term
C-I.A. Preserve historic
buildings of Middletown
II. Cultural and Historic Resources
GOAL C- II: Preserve historic landscapes
Policies
Action Items
C-II.A. Preserve the
town's historic
landscapes, including
farms and agricultural
land
C-II.B. Protect and
preserve the hand-built
stone walls which
delineate fields
C-II.C. Maintain and
enhance scenic roads
and protect their
bordering trees and
stone walls, so as to
maintain their rural and
aesthetic character
Responsible
Department
Timeframe
C-II.A.1. Promote participation in the State’s Farm,
Forest, and Open Space program (RIGL 44-3-32.2), with
the emphasis on potential tax incentives for property
owners who keep their land in agricultural production
C-II.A.2. Partner with other governmental and private
funding sources, including the Aquidneck Land Trust,
to purchase development rights to farms and other
areas of traditional use of the land
C-II.A.3. Provide zoning and subdivision standards and
incentives for the preservation of open space,
greenways, agricultural land, and scenic vistas as part
of the development process
C-II.B.1. Enforce the Town’s Stone Wall Ordinance
Planning; Tax
Assessor
Ongoing
Town
Administrator;
Town Council
Ongoing
Planning
Ongoing
Building &
Zoning
Ongoing
C-II.B.2. Protect stone walls through Development Plan
Review and Conservation Development design
processes
C-II.C.1. Inventory and map scenic roads in town
Planning
Ongoing
Planning
Mediumterm
C-II.C.2. Consider establishing an “Adopt-a-road”
program to provide beautification projects
Town Council
Mediumterm
C-II.C.3. Maintain and plant trees as necessary to
provide a canopy of shade and fall color on scenic
roads
Public Works;
Tree
Commission
Ongoing
C-II.C.4. Review the Paradise Avenue Loop Scenic
Highway Stewardship Plan
Planning
Mediumterm
C-II.C.5. Protect and enhance scenic roads and vistas
along the northern portion of West Main Road and
Burma Road/Defense Highway in accordance with the
West Side Master Plan
Planning
Ongoing
II. Cultural and Historic Resources
GOAL C-III: Share historic resources and make history and culture a vital part of the community
Policies
Action Items
Responsible
Timeframe
Department
C-III.A. Preserve historic record
and documentary history of the
town
C-III.B. Preserve and promote
cultural institutions in
Middletown
C-III.C. Protect all existing rightsof-way for public access to
cultural resources, and develop
as many additional new access
routes as possible
C-III.A.1. Identify and document historically
significant structures, including those
structures built in more recent years which
may have architectural or historical
significance
C-III.A.2. Maintain and update surveys of
the town’s architectural resources
C-III.A.3. Preserve historic documents,
photos, and records
C-III.A.4. Conserve, photograph, and
document any recognized cultural and/or
historical resources, including
documentary resources that are in
imminent jeopardy of being altered or
demolished
C-III.A.5. Strengthen the administrative
and educational infrastructure necessary
for continuing preservation of historical
resources
Planning; Town
Clerk
Mediumterm
Planning
Ongoing
Town Clerk
Ongoing
Town Clerk,
Planning
Ongoing
Planning; Town
Administrator
Long-term
C-III.B.1. Establish policies for nurturing
the arts
Town
Administrator;
Town Council
Mediumterm
C-III.B.2. Continue to sponsor valued
community activities and events
C-III.C.1. Establish easements where
necessary to protect public access
Town Council
Ongoing
Town
Administrator;
Planning
Ongoing
C-III.C.2. Enforce the public rights-of-way
and easements when public access is
challenged
Town
Administrator
Ongoing